LIGNOCELLULOSIC ETHANOL BIOREFINERIES OFFERS A SUSTAINABLE WAY TO PRODUCE ALTERNATIVE FUELS AND PROVIDE FIBER AND BIOMATERIAL, BUT LIGNIN FRACTION REMAINS UNDERUTILIZED IN THE ABSENCE OF DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH-VALUE PRODUCTS. THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES CAN DEPOLYMERIZE LIGNIN INTO ITS PHENOLIC MONOMERS WHICH COULD BE UTILIZED AS SUSTAINABLE HIGH-VALUE ADDITIVE PRODUCTS. TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM YIELD OF ADDITIVE PRODUCTS, WE PROPOSE THAT LIGNIN MUST BE FIRST DECOMPOSED INTO HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PHENOL AND ALKYLPHENOLS THEN SELECTIVELY TRANSFORM THESE PHENOLIC DERIVATIVES INTO A COMPOUND WITH A CHEMICAL STRUCTURE FIT FOR ITS PURPOSE. HYDROTHERMAL LIQUEFACTION (HTL) OF WET UNHYDROLYZED SOLIDS (UHS), A BY-PRODUCT OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC ETHANOL PRODUCTION, GENERATES A BIO-OIL WITH 98% PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS WHICH MORE THAN HALF OF IT ARE PHENOL AND ALKYLPHENOLS. THIS PHENOLIC BIO-OIL CAN BE UPGRADED INTO AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS VIA HYDRODEOXYGENATION THEN SELECTIVELY CONVERTED INTO A LUBRICANT IMPROVER BY ALKYLATION WITH FATTY ACID METHYL ESTERS. THIS LIGNIN-BASED PRODUCT HAS THE CHEMICAL STRUCTURE THAT MAKES THE PRODUCT SUITABLE LUBRICANT IMPROVER, AN ADDITIVE THAT IMPROVES LUBRICITY OF FUELS AND LUBRICANTS. THIS ARRANGEMENT OF REACTIONS ALLOWS TO UTILIZE LIGNIN AND DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS ADDING VALUE TO LIGNOCELLULOSIC ETHANOL.THIS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AIMS TO DEVELOP AND EMPLOY A SEQUENCE OF REACTIONS TO SELECTIVELY TRANSFORM WET UHS INTO A SUSTAINABLE LUBRICANT IMPROVER. ANALYSIS OF THE REACTION MECHANISMS AND KINETICS, SUCH AS ALKYLPHENOL HYDRODEOXYGENATION AND AROMATIC ALKYLATION, AND EVALUATION OF THE OVERALL PROCESS LIFE CYCLE WILL HELP TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO SYNTHESIZE SUSTAINABLE LIGNIN-BASED LUBRICANT IMPROVER AND HOW TO INTEGRATE THIS PROCESS TO THE PRODUCTION OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC ETHANOL.